Star Scavenger: The Complete Series Books 1-5

by G J Ogden

  CHAPTER 15

  Hudson woke, face down in the gravelly dirt on top of the ridge. He pushed himself up, spitting grit from his mouth, and sat upright against the side of a smooth, flat rock. He still felt dizzy and disorientated, and was uncertain of where he was, and why he was there. Everything was a chaotic jumble. All he knew for certain was that there was a stinging pain in his neck, and his head felt like it had been used as a punching bag.

  Hudson tried to stand, but dizziness and nausea nearly overwhelmed him. He managed to steady himself against the cool rock, but his vision was still foggy. He squeezed his eyes shut and slapped the side of his face with the palm of his hand, trying to literally knock some sense into himself. However, all he succeeded in doing was brushing more dirt off his numb-feeling face.

  “Self-administered physical harm will not improve your situation,” a voice said.

  Hudson spun around, looking for the source of the words, but he was still struggling to focus. Then he saw a blur approaching. He reached for his pistol, before remembering that Griff had made him toss it away. Instead, he raised his guard, and squared off against the blur as best he could, given his bleary condition.

  “In a contest of physical combat, you would not fare well against me,” the voice said, though it didn’t sound like a threat. And, oddly, the voice sounded different to the first one he’d heard. He wondered if there was more than one person, but he could still see only a single shape.

  “Who are you?” demanded Hudson, blinking rapidly in an effort to force his eyes to focus.

  “Your companion called me Morphus,” the voice said, though it sounded different again. He had initially discerned two distinct male voices, but now it was clearly a woman. “In the absence of a more suitable designation, I have adopted this moniker.”

  “Morphus?” repeated Hudson, wracking his battered brain for where he’d heard the name before. Then he remembered, “Wait, you mean you’re the alien we found on Bach Two?”

  “Correct,” said Morphus. “But, from my perspective, you are the alien. In actuality, we are merely two unique intelligences, neither one more alien than the other.”

  “Well, you’re just a uniquely intelligent blur to me at the moment,” said Hudson, dropping to one knee. His body lacked even the strength to stand. The fog in his head was lifting steadily, and his mind finally caught up with recent events. Oh no! Liberty! he thought, as he remembered what had happened. Filled with dread, he sprang up, boosted by a sudden rush of adrenalin. “Can you tell me what happened to Liberty?!”

  Suddenly, Hudson felt a hand close around his arm, followed by a sharp prick in his neck. Almost immediately, his vision cleared, and his aches and pains seemed to melt away. He also felt calm. The urgent need to find out about Liberty remained, as did his deep-rooted concern for her, but the raw, primal emotions had been subdued somehow.

  He looked up at the entity that was holding his arm. It had apparently changed form again, and now appeared as a man, though wearing another new face, not the one he remembered. Its clothing was a replica of the same items Hudson was wearing, except as before it was like the clothing was seamlessly sewn onto his body.

  “The chemical substances I just injected into your bloodstream will have mitigated the extreme emotional distress you were experiencing,” said Morphus, calmly.

  “Mitigated is one way of putting it,” said Hudson, feeling completely centered and in control. The contrast was stark compared to how he’d felt only seconds earlier. Wasting no time, he quickly scouted the area for signs of Liberty, Griff and the others. He saw his pistol lying in the dirt, and replaced it in his shoulder holster, before moving to the far side of the ridge. There, resting on another clearing about a hundred meters lower down, was the alien shuttle belonging to Morphus. Then he remembered seeing a shape flying overhead, just after Tory had shot him. The shape must have been Morphus’ ship, he realized. Talk about arriving in the nick of time… Hudson thought to himself.

  Hudson glanced back at the alien entity, noticing that Morphus had joined him on the edge of the ridge. “Do you know what happened to Liberty?” Hudson asked again. Then his head hung low, “Do you know if they… killed her?”

  “No, the corporeal entity you call Logan Griff took her with him on his vessel,” said Morphus. “Based on the communications I monitored, my understanding is that he intends to trade the Liberty Devan entity in return for a denomination of currency.” Then Morphus looked at Hudson, his expression imitating human quizzicality precisely. “Is it normal in your society to trade corporeals in this way?”

  Hudson sighed, “In some places, I’m afraid so.” Then he had a thought, “Wait, if you monitored their communications, do you know where Griff was taking her? I mean the planet or the station where he intends to sell her?”

  Morphus seemed to think for a moment, and then answered, “Yes. The facility is called New Providence. It is located within the grouping of distinct planetary bodies that you identify as the Union of Outer Portal Worlds.”

  Hudson shook his head, “Shit, I know about that place,” he said, before letting out another exasperated sigh. As a courier runner, he’d tried to avoid the OPW territories as much as possible, though sometimes the danger bounties were just too tempting to ignore. New Providence was a cesspit of the worst kinds of lowlifes in the galaxy. And although there was a functioning government, the station was actually controlled by one of the largest criminal gangs, simply known as The Council.

  Over decades, the influence of these underworld organizations had largely been eradicated from the inner portal worlds, which were tightly controlled by the CET and MP. However, the Outer Portal Worlds were a fractured mess of corruption, crime and vice. Recovering Liberty from that nest of vipers without getting killed or robbed would be more difficult than drinking Ma under the table. Not that he had a choice – he had to try.

  Thankfully, the heady concoction of substances Morphus had pumped into him had given Hudson the advantage of a clear head. Rushing off unprepared to New Providence would not help his chances of finding Liberty. And since Morphus was proving to be a fount of knowledge, he first wanted to get some more answers from the mysterious alien. And that included how and why it had arrived just in time to save his life.

  Hudson again turned to face Morphus, but recoiled in shock, as the being had shifted into the form of a woman. “Can you just pick one face and stick to it?” complained Hudson, struggling to keep up with the alien’s numerous identities.

  “I have yet to select a single form,” Morphus replied. “Your species offers so many variant options, it is challenging to fix on one.”

  Hudson tried to ignore the distracting effect of the being’s constant shape-shifting, and thought back to the first time he’d encountered Morphus. The being had then appeared in the living space of the Orion, and talked of something called Goliath. The memory sent a chill down his spine.

  “The last time we met, you talked about Earth being wiped out,” Hudson began, getting straight to the point. “No offence, but I was too freaked out by you at the time to take any of it in. For some reason, I feel much more in control now. Don’t ask me why.”

  “There would be no benefit to me asking you why, since you do not have the answer,” replied Morphus, mimicking a look of human confusion very well. “However, the reason for your calmer condition now is that I injected reuptake inhibitors into your bloodstream,” Morphus continued.

  “I don’t know what the hell that means,” laughed Hudson, starting to feel lost and overwhelmed. He glanced at the alien shuttle, and then to where he’d last seen Liberty, barely conscious and bleeding, and shook his head. “I don’t know what any of this means. We arrive here and the alien space station just ‘turns on’, before blowing up. Then on this planet, I find another alien ship that rises out of the rocks, like a phoenix from the ashes. Then Liberty is taken from me, I almost get killed, and you appear at the last second to save my ass. I feel like I’m in way over my hea
d.”

  “I did not save you,” interrupted Morphus.

  Hudson frowned and turned to face the being, “But I saw your ship fly overhead and scare Cutler and Griff away,” Hudson was grateful that Morphus had retained its current form for more than a couple of minutes. “If you didn’t come here to save me, then why did you?”

  Morphus appeared to not understand Hudson’s frantic questions. The entity seemed to have no problem with responding to direct inquiries, where there was only a definitive answer, such as asking for the result of a mathematical problem. However, more nuanced questions – or perhaps more ‘human’ questions – that required Morphus to provide its own interpretation of events appeared to be more challenging for the alien.

  “I will answer as succinctly as your corporeal spoken language allows,” said Morphus. “But before I do, I must know where the crystal is.”

  Hudson frowned, “The crystal? It was taken, by Logan Griff.”

  Morphus also frowned, copying Hudson’s own expression exactly. “That is unfortunate.”

  “Why?” asked Hudson, “What’s so important about that damn crystal?”

  “The crystal is the only hope of defeating Goliath,” Morphus answered. “To answer your earlier question, that is why I am here.”

  Hudson was about to dig deeper into the vague answer Morphus had given. However, the alien entity seemed to sense Hudson’s intentions, and quickly headed him off.

  “I will explain in more detail later, but right now, all you need to know is that if Goliath returns, it will destroy all sentient life. Not only all of the sentient corporeals on the planet you call Earth, but the corporeal colonies on your moon, the planet you call Mars, and all of the other worlds your species now inhabits.”

  There was a pause, as Morphus allowed Hudson to process what he had just been told. “It is imperative that we recover the crystal. Everything hinges on this.”

  “We?” said Hudson, recoiling slightly. “When did this become 'we'?”

  “I am the last Revocater,” said Morphus, and he gestured to the alien wreck on the horizon. “The others like me all fell to Goliath. I cannot defeat the great ship alone. I require assistance.”

  “The others?” queried Hudson, but then he looked at the fractured wreck, and he suddenly understood. “The alien hulks – they were these Revocaters you talk about?” Morphus simply nodded. “And Goliath destroyed them all?” Hudson continued, realizing that his voice had risen half an octave. Morphus nodded again, and then Hudson laughed, nervously. He was finally beginning to understand something of the background to this strange, shape-shifting being.

  “Hell, Morphus, I’m just a washed-up old flyer in the midst of a mid-life crisis, with a ship the size of a flea compared to these Revocaters. I’m sorry, but I don’t know what I can possibly do to help.” Then the image of Griff punching Liberty invaded his thoughts again, and he closed his eyes. “Besides, all I can think about right now is finding Liberty.”

  “I will assist you in recovering your corporeal ally,” said Morphus. “If you will help me to find and recover the crystal, and defeat Goliath.”

  “I appreciate the offer of help,” said Hudson, his eyes widening, “but you’d be better off going to the governments of the CET or the MP. They have resources and soldiers and warships that can fight this Goliath.”

  “Your armadas and soldiers are no match for the great ship,” replied Morphus, flatly. “And based on the data I have gathered so far, your governments cannot be trusted. However, according to my assessments you, Hudson Powell, can be.”

  Hudson laughed again and shook his head, before peering out at the wreck. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said. Then he considered how it would be nigh on impossible for him to find Liberty on New Providence by himself. “And I can’t deny that I could use the help,” he added, thinking out loud. Then he turned back at Morphus, and made a decision. He hoped it was a good one. “If you help me rescue Liberty, then I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help you defeat Goliath. But, in all honesty, I think you’ve drawn the short straw.”

  Morphus appeared confused again, and started to look around the ridge, “I do not see any straw, long or short?”

  Hudson smiled, “Never mind. So, what happens now?”

  Morphus met Hudson’s eyes again. “Follow me into orbit, and we can begin the search for your corporeal ally.”

  Hudson nodded, and then took a step towards the Orion, before he noticed something crushed into the sandy soil at his feet. He picked the object up and it immediately fell apart in his hands, before he realized what it was. “Shit, I’m afraid I’m not going anywhere soon,” he said, causing Morphus to arrest his descent towards his own ship, and walk back up onto the ridge. “This is the Orion’s ID fob. Without this, I can’t start her up. Not without an engineering genius to hotwire it, and she’s on her way to New Providence station.”

  Morphus reached out and took the remains of the ID fob, turning it over in its hands. Suddenly, Morphus changed form, its entire body becoming glacially smooth and featureless, and turning a fine golden color like champagne. It looked like a sculpture of a woman, formed entirely from liquid metal. Hudson was completely awed by the spectacle, which only lasted a few seconds, before the humanoid form of Morphus returned. This time, it was back to looking like a man.

  Morphus threw down the crushed fob, then reached out and grabbed Hudson’s wrist. He felt his skin become warmer, and his entire arm began to tingle, but he was still too stunned to resist. Before he knew what had happened, Morphus had released his hand again. Hudson then peered down and saw a light gold patch about the size of a postage stamp in the center of his wrist. He touched it, and though it felt metallic, there was no discomfort.

  “What the hell is this?” he said, after his senses caught up enough that he could speak.

  “I have grafted the technology contained within your ID fob directly into your skeletal structure,” said Morphus, in an entirely matter-of-fact manner. “You can now operate your vessel.”

  “Thanks,” said Hudson, staring at the patch, wide-eyed. “Though, the next time you plan on grafting stuff to my skeleton, could you maybe give me a heads-up first?” He felt like he’d just been partly assimilated into a cyborg.

  Morphus took a moment to consider this, but then seemed to understand. “As you wish, Hudson Powell entity. I will see you in orbit.”

  Then Morphus turned again, but after a few paces Hudson called out to it to stop. He recalled something Morphus had said earlier that he still hadn’t got an answer to. For some reason the question had wormed its way back to the front of his mind again.

  “Hey, before, when you said you didn’t save me,” Hudson began. “What exactly did you mean by that?”

  Morphus took a moment to process the question, before responding. “I was pursuing the signal generated by the active crystal. As you presumed, its unique signature is responsible for activating the space station, and also the other vessel you encountered. But my arrival at the moment of your peril was purely coincidental.”

  “Then how come I’m still alive?” Hudson replied. “Tory Bellona, the female mercenary who was here, shot me at point blank range. There’s no way I could have survived that.”

  Morphus held out his hand, palm upwards, and suddenly it became smooth and almost liquid. An object appeared in the center, as if it had bubbled up to the surface, like flotsam in the sea, before the hand returned to normal again. Hudson stepped closer and then took the object between his finger and thumb.

  “This is a tranquillizer dart,” said Hudson, now more befuddled than ever. “Where the hell did you get this?”

  “The corporeal you referred to as Tory Bellona shot this into your neck, while simultaneously discharging a firearm into the ground behind you,” answered Morphus. The entity then turned back towards his ship. “You have the Tory Bellona entity to thank for your survival, not I.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Hudson strapped him
self into the pilot’s seat, and activated the pre-flight systems. The navigation scanner immediately bleeped, and displayed a unique star-shaped chevron in close proximity to the Orion. Hudson arched his neck to peer out through the cockpit glass, and then saw Morphus’ vessel hovering nearby. He remembered that Liberty had earlier calibrated the scanner to pick up the alien ship. However, whereas Morphus had previously been attempting to remain hidden, now it was operating in plain sight.

  “Well, my wingman or woman is here,” said Hudson, getting everything set for take-off. “Only question is, how the hell do I start the engines?” He looked at the ID scanner port, where normally he would attach the ID fob, then tentatively waved his wrist in front of it. The metallic patch that Morphus had grafted to his skeleton glowed brightly, causing him to jolt back and shake his arm, as if trying to extinguish a fire. Then he heard the engines spark into life, and all the other ship’s systems began to spool up too. “Well, I’ll be damned, it actually worked,” said Hudson, staring at his wrist. It was still glowing softly, but he felt no pain or discomfort at all.

  Lowering his arm again, he checked his boards and saw that all systems showed green. Hudson smiled, realizing that Liberty had done her usual stellar job of looking after the ship. He glanced over to the empty second seat and his smile fell away. Her absence was as stark as a gaping hole in the hull. He’d spent half his life flying solo from one portal world to another, but now the thought of being on his own terrified and saddened him in equal measure.

  Hudson tried to park these darker thoughts, and grabbed the controls, lifting the Orion off the ridge and into the now dusky sky. The black shape of Morphus’ ship edged in front of him, and he slotted in behind as the alien vessel climbed higher. Compared to the Orion, Morphus’ ship had a far more organic appearance. It looked like it had been sculpted from an inky black clay, rather than hammered together from a bunch of metal panels and frames. It was elegant, in an unearthly way. Even the manner in which it moved through the sky seemed to defy logic, and physics.